Renting Dogs?!

I was horrified to learn that there's a company that rents dogs out to people who are dogless. They claim that the dogs are chosen from shelters. Mainstream press has picked up this story as if it were something good. I cannot imagine how they can report that without thinking about the issues and presenting more information.

Personally, I think this is a horrible idea. Can you imagine the shelter dog who has lost his home for whatever reason, suddenly being shuttled from home to home, caregiver to caregiver with no sense of security? Just as he thinks he's found someone to love him forever, that forever home that every dog needs and deserves, he's off to the next person.

Look further than that and think about the people in our disposable society who think that a dog is to have for a little while, not for its lifetime. Where is there sense of responsibility? Where is the bonding? Will any two people treat the dog the same way? Dogs need consistency in diet, training, attention, love. They give us so much in return. Is this the best we can do? Turn them into yet another disposable commodity to fill someone's fleeting fantasy of having a dog for just a little while?

I don't know whether to scream or cry.

Please tell me how you feel about this latest wrinkle in the world of dogs.